Advocacy

Thirty million Americans are living with chronic kidney disease, including more than 650,000 individuals who have kidney failure and rely on dialysis or transplantation to survive. As the nation’s largest nonprofit organization serving people with, and at-risk for, kidney disease, the American Kidney Fund is a strong and independent voice to increase awareness of kidney disease and advocate for policies that improve access to health care and that strengthen quality of care for individuals with kidney disease. We work with Congress, the administration, federal agencies, and state governments to advance legislation and regulatory policies important to kidney patients and their families.

Join us for Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill

Each year the American Kidney Fund brings a group of our Advocates to the nation’s capital for advocacy training and meetings with their elected officials on issues important to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis. Learn more about Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill.

Take action on current issues

Join our Advocacy Network

There is strength in numbers. More than 8,700 passionate patients, friends, loved ones and kidney care professionals in our Advocacy Network are making a huge difference on Capitol Hill and in their own communities. Together, we are fighting for policies that help patients. Add your voice to our Advocacy Network by joining today.

Charitable premium assistance

In the ongoing debate over charitable premium assistance, it is easy to lose sight of the most important aspect: the patient. When AKF is unable to help low-income kidney patients to maintain their insurance coverage, the effect on patients can be devastating. Learn more about our position.

Public policy and kidney disease

Decisions made by Congress and government agencies affect the quality of care that dialysis patients receive, the amount funding for kidney disease research and the payment of health care providers. We continuously monitor regulations and legislation that affect kidney patients and their families, and—together with like-minded organizations and our Advocacy Network—we work with Congress, the administration, federal agencies, and state governments to advance our legislative and regulatory policy agenda. Read about the issues we are monitoring and working on this year.

Advocacy blog

Get the latest news

Keep up with what’s going on in our Advocacy Network as well as with AKF programs and events. Read about the latest developments in legislation and policy that affect kidney patients and access to care. Catch up with the latest news.